Professor Barnabas Greenbloom
Professor Barnabas Greenbloom is a human professor and expert on fabulous creatures who appears in Dragon Rider and Dragon Rider: The Griffin's Feather. History Early Life At the age of five, Barnabus befriended future colleague Bagdagul Ender, the two going off in search of horned salamanders rather than listening to the boring conversation of their parents. When he was eight years old he received a mythology sticker book from an aunt he didn't care for, but which ignited his passion for mythical creatures. At the age of ten he discovered real fairies in his family garden, and from that point forward was convinced that fabulous beings really did exist. As he grew up, he made it the focus of his career to seek out evidence of their existence, and thus became well-versed in ancient history and languages. When Barnabus met his future wife, Vita, they had a wager as to which of them had met more fabulous creatures. Vita won, though Barnabas eventually managed to catch up to her; the pair later married and had a daughter, Guinevere. At some point, Barnabas spent some time as the prisoner of a nocturnal troll, and it was only with the assistance of his friend Hothbrodd, a diurnal troll, that he was able to escape. His early adventures also included an encounter with E-Mas, a golden gibbon, with the pair working together to escape unknown perils. Among Barnabas' most passionate pursuits was to find living Pegasi, but for twenty years he was frustrated in his efforts. He did encounter descendants of Scylla and Charybdis, as well as a number of Medusas. Sadly, it became evident that many fabulous creatures-including unicorns-had gone extinct, and Barnabus bought a silver pendant to remind him of the tragedy. During a trip to the northern Alps, he later discovered two golden scales and heard rumors of a monster terrorizing the region. ''Dragon Rider Barnabus' search for Pegasus eventually brought him to Egypt, where he joined an archaeological camp near the Mediterranean coast. One day his colleagues captured Sorrel, a brownie, and Twigleg, a homunculus, which Barnabas quickly recognized for what they were. He asserted his views, much to the consternation and, later, amusement, of his colleague Professor Rosenberg. At Rosenberg's request, he came with him to the nearby beach to investigate some tracks, though his efforts to purchase Sorrel and Twigleg's freedom with his aid were laughed at. Barnabus resolved to free them himself, but after examining the tracks returned to a basilisk cave he had discovered some time before. At the cave Barnabus discovered Firedrake, the dragon responsible for the tracks, in peril from the basilisk inside. Distracting Firedrake from the creature's deadly gaze, he held up a mirror so that the Basilisk saw its own reflection and perished. Barnabus quickly became acquainted with his new friend Firedrake, reveling in the experience of meeting a dragon for the first time after fearing that they had gone extinct. He soon met Firedrake's companions Ben and Sorrel, whom Ben had freed along with Twigleg from the camp cages. Dragon Rider: The Griffin's Feather'' Category:Dragon Rider Characters